


Long track

by CyanSeashells



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Coming Out, Fluff, Jealousy, Multi, Romance, Slow Burn, boyf riends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-07-13 03:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 18,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16009337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyanSeashells/pseuds/CyanSeashells
Summary: Sometimes life takes you in directions you never guessed you would go in, but once you're there you feel like you ended up at the exact right spot.Jeremy thought he was at that spot, but things change and he has to rethink his relationshipsA fanfic starting after the facts of the musical where Michael and Jeremy both find someone to date, but when that goes wrong Jeremy starts to reevaluate how he feels about Michael.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is a rewrite of my first longer fanfic that I created, I hope you all will enjoy it!  
> This is going to be a long fanfic with lots of building up to Jeremy and Michael get together, so it will take some time, but fluff will definitely happen in the meantime!  
> Feel free to comment your thoughts!  
> I'll try to add new chapters at least once a week, maybe even more!

It was almost weird to go back to normal after all that happened.  
With ‘all that’ meaning the squip incident. And ‘normal’ being... welll, not _that_ normal. There were some pretty emotional conversations afterwards. They resulted into different kinds of positive changes: Better relationships between students, an overall nicer environment,... It was sort of ironic though; it would've never happened if it wasn’t for the squip.  
  
Some, like for example Jake, seemed to grow up a bit. No more bullying, no more destructive parties. He generally just changed into a way more nice guy, except now he was like that to most people. He didn't necessarily favor talking to the ones called ‘popular’ anymore.  
A few broken friendships got healed. In the middle of the play fiasco Chloe and Brooke somehow got over their fight and made up, and it had stayed that way so far. They both seemed to have let go of the mean girl stereotype a bit more, although that didn’t mean they were completely completely different girls now. They still were the most popular girls in school and they planned on defending that title, that remained unchanged.  
  
Then for Rich, well, he still struggled. After having gotten rid of the squip, his confidence dropped a bit. He started to loathe himself for reasons that probably were caused by the squip. He generally got a bit more quiet. Fortunately there were people like Jake to help him through it. He also befriended Michael and Jeremy, the former having done an outstanding job in supporting him with coming out as bi in public after Rich discovered the truth about his sexuality.  
Then there was Michael himself, he seemed pretty alright. There were moments when no one really was sure if he was truly fine or not though. Surprisingly, he never really talked properly about what happened with Jeremy. Both preferred to just say it was alright, no hard feelings. He did manage to get some friends outside of Jeremy though, which was honestly good for him. He especially spent a lot of time with Rich, though that didn’t mean he didn’t still spend a lot of time with his best friend Jeremy of course.  
Christine honestly didn’t go through a lot of changes. She continued with theater and a lot of other hobbies. Jeremy did however convince her to take it more easy, since he didn’t want her overworking herself. She and Jeremy had also started dating, although they were both still pretty awkward at times. It was nice though.  
  
Then last but not least there was Jeremy. He actually was doing pretty great. Not only did he get a girlfriend, but he also got more confident than at first. He had learned to keep himself from freaking out in some situations a bit more, and generally was less embarrassed about just being himself. He did however still have a nagging feeling this wouldn’t last long though. That at a moment when he was at his weakest, doubting himself, the squip would come back and take it all out on him. But at least he knew he had a good friend he could count on if that ever happened again.

Jeremy bit his lip, tapping the back of his pencil against the paper on his desk. It was filled with math questions, though still lacking any solutions to said questions as he so far had failed to finish it. Honestly? He really wasn’t trying, his mind was more occupied with citing an internal monologue about how everything changed since the ‘incident’ a few months ago. He liked narrating stuff, and going over events to get a better idea of what was going on in his life, and the lives of those around him.  
  
Actually, he was so deeply in thought that he didn’t even realize his phone had buzzed for about three times already. He sat up straight again, returning his attention to the current moment as he checked his messages. Christine. Shit, did he space out that long? Let’s see, he was supposed to meet her at 4 and it was… that was five minutes ago. Way to go, loser.  
He groaned as he let his head fall against his desk. If he kept this streak of date fails up, he probably would have to resort to dating a computer after all.  
Not only did he often happen to be late for dates, but he’d do inexplicably stupid things, like when he spilt an entire milkshake on Christine on their second date. He was stupid;  
‘so stupid..’, he grumbled to himself as he quickly sent a text that he’d be there in ten, before pulling his shoes on and running outside. He grabbed his bike and basically swung himself onto it as he majestically rode it towards the movie theatre!  
  
..If only, he actually ended up almost falling in his haste. Not to mention that he arrived as a panting, sweating mess. Oh joy.  
In a way, he was actually proud that he got there only 15 minutes late. That had to be a new record for tardies.. or something? He counted it as a somewhat victory. Going over to Christine while being late and reeking of sweat, however, was less of an achievement. He did, however, grow a little more hope that Christine wouldn’t break up with him over this when he felt a pair of arms around him, enveloping him in a hug. Those arms were Christine’s arms, to be exact, not some random stranger about to drag him off somewhere.  
Jeremy hugged his girlfriend back, secretly feeling giddy when thinking of the word girlfriend. Because yes indeed, he actually managed to get his first girlfriend! (although a bit late compared to others, he still beat Michael to it, ha.)  
  
In a way he was surprised that Christine hadn’t changed her mind after about five minutes after agreeing to go out with him, but as if he’d complain. After a few seconds of blissful hugging she did pull away though, and started scolding him for being late. In a way it felt sort of nice though, it showed that she cared.  
  
Except for that somewhat embarrassing moment, they did end up having a pretty nice time at the movies. The movie was really dramatic; Christine loved it and Jeremy loved joking around about it, so there were no complaints on either side. They shared their popcorn, neither of them usually bringing enough money for a separate one for the both of them. Or that was the excuse at least. They just didn’t want to admit to wanting to share one and maybe recreating that moment in romances where they’d both reach for the popcorn and their hands would touch.  
  
Jeremy liked movies with Christine, though it was still nothing compared to going with Michael. They’d usually watch a sci-fi or action movie together, having brought loads of snacks, some more questionable than others as they continuously whispered jokes about the movie, daring each other to try weird combinations of snacks and trying not to puke. Good times, more girlfriendless times though, but still good times. At those thoughts Jeremy made a mental note to ask Michael to go catch a movie soon, they actually hadn’t done that in a while, now that he thought about it.  
  
After the film Jeremy and Christine settled on staying at the theatre and talking for a bit longer, before he walked her home. Christine didn’t actually live that far away from the movie theatre, which was kind of a bummer; That meant he’d have to ride his bike alone for most of the way back. He could’ve let Christine onto the back of his bike to bring her back like that instead of walking, but then his time with her would be even shorter, and he didn’t want that. No matter how lame that sounded.  
  
On the other hand…he hoped she wouldn’t be bothered that she had to walk though, but they were halfway already and it was too late to offer now. Jeremy was also already sort of (definitely) looking forward to the cheek kiss he knew he’d get when they would part. He guessed that the fact that they didn’t do a full on mouth kiss was lame to some, but it didn’t mean they hadn’t kissed before yet!  
  
They kissed like,.. once before.  
It was very awkward, and they both kind of failed at making it a good kiss, though Jeremy put most of the blame on himself, so now he was too embarrassed to try anything more than a cheek kiss or a hug. Christine didn’t seem to mind at the moment though, which he was grateful for.  
They both stopped when they reached Christine’s house, the shorter female pressing her lips against Jeremy’s cheek, which made his face slightly flush with color as he smiled at her, kissing her forehead in return.  
“You know you’re not a mom kissing her child, right?” Christine said, sticking her tongue out at him. The joke made the boy chuckle a bit before leaning down and kissing both of her cheeks. “Good now?” He asked, getting a thumbs up in response before Christine went to hurry inside.  
  
She did however stop in her tracks for a moment, abruptly turning around and yelling  
“WAIT!”  
Jeremy paused, having been in the middle of getting back onto his bike.  
“…yeah?” He asked, raising a brow to what she possibly could have to ask for her to stop him like that.  
“Were you also invited by Michael for this meet up tomorrow? Who am I kidding, you probably were, you’re best friends! Anyways, what do you think it’s for?” She asked, making Jeremy think for a moment. Invitation? Oh yeah, now he remembered. A bit earlier that day he indeed got a message from Michael that he had something to tell, and that they’d be meeting up tomorrow. Although not even Jeremy knew what it was. He shook his head, shrugging lightly.  
“Guess we’ll have to find out?” He replied, noticing how his girlfriend’s eyebrows went up a bit, though not registering it as surprise even though it was. She really thought that at least Jeremy would know. After she got over her surprise she giggled lightly and nodded, bidding him goodbye before going inside, Jeremy continuing to ride his bike the rest of the way home.  
  
Jeremy had been home for a couple of hours and had been laying on his bed when he heard his phone buzz. He went to reach for it, but then realized he had left it on his desk and that his lazy ass actually had to get up and go get it if he wanted to see who it was. After a minute or so he eventually groaned, getting up and picking up his phone before he flopped back onto his bed. He turned on his phone, checking the message. It was from Michael.  
  
‘Hey dude, um, you’ll always be my best friend right? No matter what happens?’  
He sighed slightly when he read the message. He honestly felt kind of guilty since it reminded him of the last time he let something come between them. He wondered if he maybe was talking about that, or maybe just something else. Eventually he decided to stop mulling over it and reply already. Whatever it was about, he probably had left Michael waiting long enough for him to question if he made a mistake asking that.  
‘Yeah man, I’ll always be there. You're my best friend!’  
‘Thanks, it means a lot... See you tomorrow!’  
He didn’t really get much more of an explanation than that. Usually they’d chat for a while, so Jeremy was confused about the abrupt ending to their conversation, but the short exchange had still managed to put a smile on his face. He decided he'd probably find out what that was all about the next day, and decided to just go to bed instead.


	2. Speaking up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to add the second chapter already! Expect the next one by the end of the week! That one should be longer again!

The next day it was time to go to Michael's house. Finally he'd reveal what he had been planning this meeting for.  
Jeremy knew some others of the school would be there too, considering Michael had something in his words "of somewhat, well at least to me, importance" to announce. Jeremy almost got anxious with how unknowing he was about this whole situation. Who exactly would even show up?  
  
He walked up to the door, gulping slightly as he hoped he wasn’t the last one to arrive. Again.  
At least this time he wasn't technically late. Though others also could've all been early....  
He let his fingers slide down the stone framework around front door, feeling the texture to get a better grip on reality before his hands reached the doorbell. After a moment of hesitation, he pressed down on the button. Keep it together, Heere...  
  
A small smile of relief escaped onto Jeremy's face when Michael opened the door.  
“He.. hey! What’s up?” His best friend said, the way he was sweating and speaking easily betraying that Michael was in fact seriously nervous. Probably even more than Jeremy had been.  
  
“Dude, are you alright? You look like you’re about to piss your pants.” Jeremy asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Surprisingly Michael tensed up a little at the contact. That definitely wasn’t a good sign.  
Michael hesitated. His eyes darted across the room before grabbing Jeremy by his sleeve. He pulled him into the kitchen, away from the people who were already up in his bedroom. “I don’t think I can do this man, I just, Rich convinced me to do this but I don’t think I can handle telling a whole room that I .. I just can’t do it!” He rambled, the level of panic in his words only seeming to rise as Michael continued to speak.  
Jeremy sighed softly. He didn't like seeing Michael like this.  
  
Jeremy opened his arms to Michael, offering him a hug. Honestly he planned to only hug his friend briefly, but Michael immediately clung to him. Jeremy could feel him shaking... He rubbed his back, not having the heart to let his awkwardness take over and pull away.  
“It’s alright, just calm down, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. Maybe you can even tell them separately or something if you really want to tell?” He suggested, honestly starting to get scared of what Michael would possibly have to tell, but he didn’t want to pry yet. He was already on edge enough.  
  
Michael looked over at him, seeming to consider the suggestion before pulling away to get some water, already taking out a second glass for Jeremy before he could ask. “..You really think I could just do that?” He asked after a moment of silence, sounding somewhat hopeful.  
Jeremy nodded confirmingly, accepting the glass of water when Michael handed it to him and taking a sip. “Of course. Who’s even coming anyways?” He asked, curious since he had heard a couple of voices from upstairs already, but he couldn’t place much of them yet. He was pretty sure Christine was among those voices though. (she had told him she'd be coming, after all.)  
  
“Well you obviously, Brooke, Chloe since she's always with Brooke, Rich and Jake are still coming, and Christine’s here too.” He listed, humming slightly afterwards in confirmation that he got it right.  
Jeremy nodded, taking another sip from his water, though Michael quickly spoke up again. “And the thing I actually wanted to say was that I’m into boys-”  
That was the moment Jeremy choked on his drink.  
  
He needed a few moments to stop violently coughing and actually speak, all while Michael cringed away a bit, counting that reaction as a negative one. Right when Michael was about to speak up again, probably about to make up some kind of excuse for it being a joke, Jeremy cut him off.  
“So you’re not dying or something?” Jeremy basically yelled, both relieved and surprised at the confession. Also pretty mortified because he was pretty sure his initial reaction looked very bad.  
  
A moment of silence passed before a small, but obviously cheeky grin appeared on Michael’s face. “No, but you certainly looked like you were.” He commented, before they both started laughing, Jeremy going in for another hug.  
“You jerk.” Jeremy muttered, of course not meaning it in any malicious way. “And I don’t care who you like to kiss man, you’re my best friend.” He added, reassuring him.  
Michael grinned, leaning into him as he hugged back. “Thanks, it means a lot…. But uh.. you seriously thought I was dying?” He teased him again, boy Jeremy wasn’t going to live this one down any time soon, was he? They both had to wipe a few tears away, at least no one was there to see them be sentimental dorks.  
  
Unfortunately, the moment had been interrupted by Christine walking in. Mainly by the noise she made by accidentally walking into the water bowl on the ground for Michael's dog.  
“Shit- um, sorry! I just wanted to check on you guys since you were gone so long and I’m obviously interrupting!” She quickly apologized as the two pulled away from the hug, rather embarrassed.  
Michael smiled at her, shaking his head. “It’s fine, we were done here anyways. By the way, can I... talk to you in private too?” He asked, deciding to tell everyone separately would be easier after all.  
There were two things Jeremy didn’t notice though:  
  
The first being the blush on his best friends cheeks when he hugged him;  
The second being the brief moment Michael’s face dropped when his girlfriend walked in, reminding him that Jeremy actually had one now. 


	3. Changes are hard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as promised another chapter!  
> I hope you all enjoy!  
> I should be able to update at least twice a week, though I don't have set days yet, so be sure to bookmark if you want to know when I'll upload a new chapter!

It wasn’t long before Michael got a boyfriend, or something of the sorts, since he hadn't really said the b-word yet. Jeremy had learned about this guy one day when they were hanging out.  
“So… you know that one guy a grade above us? The blonde?” Michael spoke up, sitting a bit straighter in his beanbag. He looked just the slightest bit nervous  
  
“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific, Micah. There are a lot of blondes at school.” Jeremy responded after a moment of thinking about who he possibly could be talking about.  
“You know, Billy…?” He said, glancing away as he appeared a bit embarrassed.  
“Oh yeah, god that name does sound kinda stupid don’t you think?” Jeremy commented, earning a playful shove from Michael.  
“I know, alright? But he’s pretty cool. He actually asked me out on a date today.” He muttered, face slightly flushing.  
  
Well that.. definitely wasn’t what Jeremy expected him to say. “Sorry, what?” He asked, just to be sure he heard it right. Michael wasn’t really a person to move out of his own circle of friends much, even though he probably could get along with a lot of people. That’s why it seemed weird to Jeremy that he suddenly landed a date with someone Jeremy didn’t recall Michael ever talked to before.  
  
“Oh yeah you heard me.” Michael simply responded, a smug grin growing on his face as he tossed a pillow at his friend to stop Jeremy to question him any further. Jeez, who knew talking about these things could be so embarrassing?  
The pillow throw obviously didn’t work though, as Jeremy just chuckled and threw one back at him. “So, when is this date exactly? You planning on kissing him~?” Jeremy asked, teasing Michael as the amount of pillows thrown at him doubled.  
  
“I dunno man, when were you planning on kissing Christine without accidentally headbutting her again?” he responded, the both of them having gotten up by now. It only took a moment before Michael was chucked back into his beanbag again by an incoming pillow though. He didn't regret it though, that burn was sick.  
“Oof, your words hurt, but not as much as my wrath.” Jeremy cackled, before just plopping down next to him again. “Seriously though, I’m happy for you man. Who knows, maybe we can go on double dates soon!” He grinned, getting excited about the idea, though Michael hesitated to respond to that.  
  
“So… You’re really fine with me seeing some dude, right?” Michael asked, nibbling on his bottom lip like he often did when he felt unsure of himself.  
Jeremy nodded, smiling softly. “Yeah dude, I already told you a million times since you came out, I don’t care who you date, you’re my best friend either way.” He reassured him, giving his best friend a smqll nudge.  
“Thanks, Jer.” Michael hummed, briefly hugging him.

Lunchtime. That one time of the day you could actually chill out at school for a day.  
Ha, sure. It usually was just fighting for a table and people trying to cut the line so they could get to the good stuff before it was up. Nothing relaxed about that.  
Jeremy didn't do those things though, he was smart. He brought his own lunch.  
He did seem to regret that every now and then though, especially now that he had sat down next to Brooke, who was taking a bite of her very good looking pizza. Fuck pizza day. Brooke just sighed, placing a slice next to the mediocre brown bag that contained Jeremy’s lunch.  
“No buts, I know you always mope on pizza day so I took an extra slice for you.” She gave him a thumbs up, before going back to her conversation with Chloe.  
  
Okay, nevermind, don't fuck pizza day. Brooke and pizza day are the best now.  
Jeremy actually got pretty close with Brooke after all their issues got sorted out, so he sometimes sat with her at lunch. Not all the time though, because people tended to swarm around her table and it could get pretty crowded. This day there weren't that many people though.  
  
Jeremy wasn’t that much of a ‘people’ person, he had realized, so being popular or hanging out with anyone popular honestly wasn’t all what it was made out to be. Brooke was that kind of person though. She was able to hold a conversation with multiple people while checking texts on her phone. It was pretty impressive, really.  
  
“Hey buddy!” Jeremy looked up to see his Michael smile at him, though he hadn’t sat down next to him yet for some reason.  
“Hey loser, something up?” Jeremy asked, a teasing grin lingering on his lips after he called him a loser. Michael ruffled his friend's hair in retaliation, making Jeremy chuckle.  
“Look man, I know this isn’t our usual thing to do but.. Would you mind if I sat somewhere else today? Michael asked, a slight tinge of nervousness in his voice as he glanced over at something further away. “Billy.. He..” He started, though Jeremy cut him off.  
  
“It’s fine, really. Go over there.” He said, before taking a sip from his can of soda. “just don’t forget you’re in public.” He added after a moment of silence, making Brooke, who apparently had been listening in on the conversation, snicker a bit.  
“Doubt you’d have to worry about that.” He retorted, though his face was turning pretty red. He knew he was making a jab at how he still hadn’t kissed Christine again, but his face was too priceless to actually get upset at it.  
“Mhm, whatever dork. Just go already, you got my blessings.” He did feel upset about something else though, he realized as Michael left. Jeremy furrowed his brows slightly as he started to eat his pizza.  
They always sat together, and even though he understood and thought it was perfectly reasonable for Michael to want to sit with the guy he was dating (Michael told him the first date went great!), he couldn’t help but get nervous and feel a bit alone. Changes could be kind of hard to handle, even small ones sometimes.  
  
The sudden emotion kind of made him lose his appetite. He still ate the pizza though, couldn’t possibly leave the pizza, now could we? He raised his brows when he felt his phone buzz, contemplating on not checking who texted him, but on the other hand he wasn’t sure he was going to eat much more anyways. He was glad he decided to check the message though, because it was from Michael. He smiled, responding before putting it away again.  
  
It reminded him of the few days he had at school while Michael was sick. Those days were usually pretty hard to get through, since he couldn’t really talk to anyone that didn’t think he was weird or a creep, nerd,... but Michael would text him whenever he could, even though he was way too sick to even be allowed to be up. It was really considerate of him, though Jeremy also felt a bit bad that Michael had to think about things like that just to help his friend.  
  
“Jeremy, you alright? I just saw you go from okay to a thundercloud and then back to a grinning maniac.” Rich said, snickering slightly in amusement at the others rapid mood changes. When did he even get here? It kind of felt weird to be friends with Rich honestly, considering that he bullied him for years, but honestly without anything telling him to be an asshole he was actually.. nice? So he had to at least give him a chance, even though he still expected to get punched by Rich half of the time. It hadn't happened yet though.  
Jeremy nodded quickly. “Uh- Yeah, I just remembered I left ..my computer on?” He lied, not wanting to tell anyone else about how he was bothered about something as simple as his best friend not sitting with him. Rich just squinted, humming in response before going back to his food. Well, at least he didn’t continue asking about it.


	4. Jealousy

After lunch Jeremy's day had been the same as ever: stressing over some test, trying not to fall asleep in history, and then eventually tapping a pencil against his desk as the last few seconds of the last class ticked away.  
And then the bell rang, causing a flurry of teenagers to arise, all headed for the same small amount of exits. Jeremy waited a few minutes. Of course he wanted to get home, but he didn’t feel like getting squished to a pancake in between the herd other students trying to get home. A few minutes later he finally stood up, the traffic in the halls having calmed down a bit by now, thankfully.  
  
Jeremy hummed softly as he walked out the back, headed straight for the parking lot near the school. He had grown to appreciate the fact that Michael had a car lately, especially now Michael actually was allowed to bring it to school  
....and Jeremy wasn’t embarrassed about being seen in it any more, which at this point just sounded ridiculous. Jeremy couldn't even remember why he had cared about being seen in his friend's car anyways.  
  
Michael was already waiting by the car, tapping away on his phone as he leaned against the front of it. He didn’t really seem to be paying a lot of attention. That gave Jeremy the chance to get in real close, leaning in before saying 'boo' in Michael’s ear, resulting in Michael almost dropping his phone. “Dude!” Michael groaned, earning a laugh from Jeremy. Despite the prank and Jeremy being late Michael didn't seem to be annoyed though.  
  
Michael never really mentioned how Jeremy always got out much later than the other, he knew that he didn’t really like crowded spaces.  
Jeremy was sort of thankful for those kinds of things, honestly. Most others would just say he was a pussy or whatever and pull him through a thick crowd anyways. Situations like those had happened multiple times with Christine before, though eventually he was also able to explain it to her properly. He guessed it just took some time for people to understand eachother completely.  
Michael shook his head after a moment, faking annoyance as he got into the car, motioning for Jeremy to get in as well.  
  


Had something changed between them?  
The question had started to plague Jeremy’s mind about an hour into playing games with his best friend, while he looked over at their backpacks. Michael’s one being brand new, and his own bag with washed out marker still slightly visible on it.  
They had kept putting the word boyfriends on there for a while, just as an inside joke. Then Michael bought a new bag a couple of days ago, and Jeremy removed the text from his own bag as well, guessing it was kind of weird after all, especially considering they were now both dating someone else. It wouldn’t have been the same to just have ‘boyf’ on there anyways.  
  
He still couldn’t help but to feel a bit offended though, just a little bit. Michael had just removed it and got a new backpack without any warning or explanation and that didn't sit right with Jeremy. It was a bit silly to get upset over that though, Jeremy knew that.  
  
Even though Jeremy had just brushed his feelings off as silly, he still felt like Michael was changing. He felt as if his friend was getting more distant, even though he was still physically there.  
His bean bag, for example. It was so stupid that this change was bothering him, but when he was reaching over to give the other a well-deserved celebratory high-five he noticed it. Michaels beanbag was moved further away from him instead of just pressed against his own one as usual. The change in distance threw him off enough to miss Michael’s hand the first time, much to his embarrassment, but it was really just the worry that there was some kind of symbolism behind that simple change that worried him; were they actually growing apart after all these years?  
  
He shook his head slightly, deciding to keep his mind on the game. He was just being crazy. Yeah, he was just being crazy and insecure for... some reason. Jeremy was about to point out something about the game when he was cut off by the familiar sound of Michael’s phone. Michael checked his text messages, and Jeremy could notice him paling a bit when he read the message. “Shit-“  
  
“What’s going on?” Jeremy asked, tilting his head as he looked over at Michael.  
Michael got up, quickly grabbing his back. “I forgot I had a date, can’t believe I’m pulling a Jeremy.” He said, earning a pillow to the back of his head.  
“That’s a thing now?” Jeremy complained, leaning back into his seat as Michael confirmed that basically everyone was saying that now, including Christine, before apologizing about having to go so suddenly and leaving.  
  
It was, well, weird, to say the least, to see Michael hang out with others. His boyfriend, in particular. He wasn’t homophobic, okay? He was totally and completely fine about his best friend being gay, and he completely supported him in that!  
  
...He just didn’t like Michael spending more time with his boyfriend rather than his best friend, who he had way more history with, and a bond that could never be replaced. But even though he and Michael had those things, and Billy just started talking to him a couple of months ago, it still felt as if Michael was slowly drifting away from him. On moments they’d usually be joking around while walking to their next class, Jeremy now walked past the kissing couple and decided to talk to Michael later since he was obviously 'busy'.  
  
It was ridiculous of him, Michael still hung out with Jeremy, they were still best friends, but it just felt different now. It made his stomach turn in ways he didn’t want it to. It made his heart hurt a little. It was on a certain afternoon that he finally couldn’t take it anymore, starting to rant about the subject to Christine.  
  
Christine honestly felt a little awkward about this whole subject. She liked Michael, but honestly didn’t know much about him, so she couldn’t really say what Michael could possibly be feeling, and she just felt like it wasn’t her place to say it anyways.  
“Oh, well… “ He started, trailing off as she tried to think of something useful to say, patting Jeremy’s head as he laid it on her lap.  
  
“I mean, back when we first started dating we also hung out together almost every day?” She continued, her attention slipping off the subject for a moment as she realized that might also mean they didn’t really do that anymore. She kind of missed Jeremy only having eyes for her, but she knew that was just a selfish thought, and that stuff never really happened in healthy relationships.  
  
“…so it’s not that bad! It’ll probably blow over soon, but if it really bothers you maybe you should go and talk to Michael about it yourself?” She suggested, secretly hoping that with that the conversation about this subject she was unqualified to give advice about would soon be over. The conversation did end, somewhat, though Jeremy still wasn’t planning on talking to Michael about it. He too felt a bit selfish for wanting more time and attention from his friend.  
  


In the end Jeremy didn't manage to stick with his decision to not bring it up though.  
Two weeks later his annoyance with Michael and his new boyfriend had only grown after he had cancelled their plans two times in a row already. He had been dating Billy for several weeks now, the honeymoon phase should be over, right?  
  
Jeremy didn’t even really say it in such a bad way on purpose, it just rolled out of his mouth without thinking when Michael arrived at his house on Saturday.  
“Oh, not cancelling our plans to go kiss Billy this time?” He didn’t realize how bad that sounded until he saw the look Michael gave him.  
“I’m sorry, what?” Was Michael’s reply, his brows furrowing a bit.  
  
Jeremy paled, realizing he had made a mistake by starting about it, though his mouth moved faster than his conscience as the jealousy he had been feeling took over his ability to rationally talk about his issues. “You haven’t – You’ve already cancelled twice to go hang out with him this week! Do you even want to hang out? You're an ass when you're dating someone.”  
Michael scoffed, running a hand through his dark coloured hair as he looked at Jeremy, his eyes narrowing at the other.  
  
“Really? Jeremy, you’ve cancelled plans before as well. And we hang out like, almost every day! It’s almost impossible to hang out with literally anyone else without cancelling plans with you!” Needless to say, Michael was annoyed. Jeremy was acting as if Michael had let him down several times already. Though, now that he thought about it, Jeremy was usually the one letting him down in the past.  
“I just think that-“  
  
“No, no you don’t. Shut up. You know what, they’re right, you’re just a shitty friend who only cares about himself.” Michael spat, cutting Jeremy off before he could defend himself. He wasted no time in picking his bag back up and leaving again, slamming his door on the way out.  
Jeremy just stood there, not sure what just had happened. The situation had gotten way more out of hand than he thought it would've gotten. Though even if Jeremy could admit that he could've worded things nicer, he still thought the others insults were uncalled for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof so this was a less happy chapter to write, though I wanted to include an arc like this so they can eventually talk both current and past problems over and get a better bond again! Next chapter will include more about how Michael feels about this whole ordeal.  
> Look out for the next chapter in one or two days!


	5. Aftermath

Jeremy didn’t know. He never realized how he had been acting. Heck, even Michael hadn’t realized it, but it was obvious to everyone else. It was so obvious, even his boyfriend, who didn’t know Jeremy personally, could see it.  
  
At first Michael had thought it was just Billy being overly protective or concerned. He couldn’t possibly be able to give a proper judgement over Jeremy if he didn't know him well, but Billy had done it anyways.  
It started about a few weeks after they first started dating. They were cuddling on the couch when Billy asked about Jeremy, his best friend. He asked what had happened between them a couple of months ago, around the time of the play. He remembered seeing Michael walk the halls of school alone for a little while.  
  
Michael, although somewhat reluctantly, told him what had happened. Unsurprisingly his boyfriend didn't react positively when he learned what had happened.  
Billy had made his concerns obvious when he asked if Jeremy and him ever even talked it out properly. 'Jeremy never really seemed to want to talk about it after it had happened', Michael replied, which he thought was true from his perspective.  
  
Both of them had kind of been avoiding the subject, though. They seemed to be getting along fine, anyways. But after that, he just started to question things. Why had he gone for help to Rich to come out while he hadn't even told Jeremy? Why did he often avoid these kinds of deep subjects with his best friend? Had Jeremy ever properly tried to apologize for what happened?  
  
Those thoughts kept floating around in his mind after that conversation, and he started to feel more uneasy being close to Jeremy. He had loved being close to him before, even mildly cuddling sometimes. He had to admit that it wasn’t something he should do with a guy while he was taken by someone else though. He had a boyfriend now, he couldn't be into Jeremy anymore. The distance and Billy, fortunately, helped silence the last bits of feelings he still had for his best friend.  
  
The truth was that Michael, since a couple of years, had been hoping there was a chance to get together with Jeremy at one point on the future. That bit of hope did start to fade when Jeremy started crushing on Christine though, and eventually the last of his hopes were crushed when they finally got together.  
  
It hurt more than he thought it would. It wasn’t even that big of a crush he had, in his opinion, but seeing someone so close to Michael suddenly spending time with someone else that much, doing things he had considered doing with Jeremy himself sometimes… hurt. It hurt, no matter how bad he felt for feeling this way while his friend had found happiness.  
He couldn't blame Jeremy though, he knew he had the right to date whoever he wanted to, and Jeremy probably would never think of Michael as more than a friend  
  
Because of that, some time after he came out and someone actually asked him out, he didn’t refuse. He thought it might help with getting over Jeremy. And oh, it did. Billy was actually way sweeter than he had imagined, and even though it had been a bit awkward at first, he now enjoyed spending time with him a lot.  
  
As for Jeremy, though..  
Bitch.  
That absolute asshole bitch. Michael was so angry after that fight that he couldn't even think of any good insults.  
  
He knew those words weren't usually something Michael would use to refer to his best friend as, but as he stomped through the halls of his home, going over to his room it was the only thing he could mutter to himself about the situation. Okay, he might’ve been a bit unreasonable, but everything had just been stacking up and he honestly just realized Billy might have been right and Jeremy was actually a shitty best friend.  
  
He laid down on his bed, briefly yelling into his pillow as he tried to get rid of the anger so he could at least think somewhat clearly about the matter. It didn’t work, and after some time he noticed the wet stains on his pillow.  
He had started crying at some point, fuck. He was over Jeremy. He had to be, but this whole situation was still riling him up.  
  
He eventually just decided to go drown his emotions in video games. He’d deal with the rest later.  


“Soo, how has everyone’s day been?” Brooke asked, a laugh that failed to hide her nervousness sounding from her as she looked around the lunch table, having noticed the way Jeremy and Michael, of which the latter had gone to sit with them because his boyfriend couldn’t join him today, were glaring at each other from their sides of the table.  
“Good.”  
“Couldn’t be better.”  
  
Different responses from across the table were heard, though it was still obvious to most at the table that the two boys had even taken on a passive aggressive tone while answering the simple question, for some reason.  
“Okay..” Brooke clasped her hands together, drawing out the word as she glanced across the table once again, not sure how to react.  
  
After lunch she pulled Chloe aside in the bathroom to address the issue. “Hey, psst, have you noticed something going on between Michael and Jeremy? Like in the unfriendly and probably fighting way?” She asked, glancing around to make sure no one else was around to listen in and start rumors.  
  
Chloe sighed a bit, shrugging. “I’ve noticed them acting kind of dumb, if that’s what you mean. Why, you got gossip about them?”  
“No! I’m just worried! I think we should try and help them!” Brooke scoffed, crossing her arms. She was a little offended about Chloe's response.  
“Brooke, don’t get this the wrong way but that’s their business, actually getting in between them sounds like a bad plan. Why do you care so much anyways?” Chloe squinted a bit when Brooke struggled to find a reply, before gasping a bit.  
  
“Don’t tell me you still like him?” Chloe nudged her best friend, raising a brow.  
“No! No, don’t be ridiculous!” Brooke said, wiping at her eyes as she got a bit emotional. “I just care about him, is all..”  
Brooke accepted the tissue Chloe gave her, though still stood with her point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this another update week has been concluded! Next week the updates should be more spread out again!  
> Thank you for reading and don't forget to bookmark if you want to keep following the story!


	6. Mending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I finished editing the chapter but I totally forgot to publish it -  
> Hope you like this chapter!

The fight between Jeremy and Michael had, surprisingly enough, continued for at almost a week. It would have continued for longer if it wasn’t for the interference of their friends.  
There hadn't been ang big arguments in public, or actual fights.  
What was really concerning was that the two were completely ignoring eachother. It wasn't normal, and it was obvious that deep down they missed eachothers friendship and support. Thy still wouldn't admit it though. They could both be so strubborn at times, it could be a bit annoying at times like these.  
  
On Friday, day 6 of the fight Brooke, Chloe, Rich and Jake had all decided it had been enough. The argument never should've lasted this long but both Michael and Jeremy hadn't done anything to solve it. It was time for their friends to get involved.  
  
Not only were they ignoring eachother, but Jeremy had been moping all week and Michael had been pretty irritable, even when they were not near eachother. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.  
Now how could the group of friends help them make up? It was really simple: Lock them in a room together alone! No way that a drastic action like that wouldn’t work out.  
....But Brooke and the others had started to wonder if it might not have been that good of an idea when they started to hear yelling from the supply closet they had locked Michael and Jeremy in.  
  
Christine had helped lure Jeremy into the closet first. She felt bad for lying about needing something from there, but the group of friends had convinced her it was all for the greater good; that's how she as well joined operation 'make-Jeremy-and-Michael-make-the-fuck-up'.

Michael had been harder. They had actually asked his boyfriend to help just like they asked Christine, though Billy had refused to join. Not only did he think it looked shady (which it definitely was), he also didn't really like Jeremy much.  
So option two?  
Jake and Rich took care of option two. It was a bit brutal to just lift him up with two and just put him into the closet like that, but they were at their wits end. It hadn't even been all that easy to catch Michael, the first time he had slipped from their grip and ran away.  
When they finally got him into the closet they cheered, telling them to make up before shutting the door, pretending to not hear their protests.

Like mentioned before, it turned out the supposed solution didn't start off that well. It wasn't long before they heard yelling, and Jeremy and Michael would've started physically fighing if it wasn't for the small size of the room. It wouldn't be safe to fight in a room this small and this stacked with shelves and supplies. They weren't that dumb to seriously injure eachother.

“It’s like I’m losing my best friend!”  
Jeremy managed to yell in between the strings of insults coming from the both of them. It made Michael pause for a moment, just before he looked even more pissed.  
“Oh so you feel like you’re losing your best friend. Why, did I block you from my field of vision with the help of a supercomputer so I could get with a guy? No!”  
  
The others were still listening outside. For a brief moment they had considered getting them out of there before an actual bad fight would break loose, but from the sound if it they seemed to have a lot of things to discuss. They decided to just let them talk (more like yell) for now.  
They hadn't thought they would keep on arguing for so long though. They stayed busy for so long that most had returned to their classes and stopped listening in, luckily. Though at a certain moment, after at least an hour, they just both fell silent and looked at each other. Looking as if they were now just realising what this was all about, what the other had been saying.  
  
“Hey.. uh.. Michael?”  
“Yeah?” Michael asked, a bit of an annoyed tone to his voice, still not cooled down from all the arguing..  
“I’m sorry for everything. I just- I miss being close to you, you’re my best friend, no matter what alright? And- and when I say I'm sorry for everything, I really mean everything. I made a mistake to drop you back then.”  
Michael almost just ran away to escape from this situation, to not have to talk about it, but unfortunately he was still locked in, there was nowhere to run to. He sighed, thinking it over for a moment. But no matter what shit has happened, it was true, they were best friends and he didn’t want to end that.  
“Alright.. I.. You're my best friend too, man. I'm sorry, I blew everything out of proportion again-”  
  
"No, you were right. I've been a shitty friend at times. I didn't know you still felt that hurt about the squip-incident, I thought you didn't want to talk about it..It'll never happen again though, I promise. I'll be by your side." Jeremy smiled a bit, offering his hand out to Michael. Michael chuckled slightly, shaking his hand. "And I'll be by your side. You also should've told me what you were feeling, man... You know what, how about we just tell eachother everything what's bothering us from now on? No matter if we think it's stupid?" Michael proposed, still holding onto the others hand.  
  
"That's a deal. Now, you know what's really bothering me right now?" Jeremy responded, narrowing his eyes. "No...?" Michael raised a brow. Was there something else they forgot to discuss? "That we're still locked in this damn closet!" They both laughed, but they indeed really wanted to get out of there.  
So after finally saying everything that had been on their minds, bugging them for the past months and after fighting for a week, they hugged it out.  
..they still ended up being stuck there for another hour though, since all others were in class already at that moment. How the two didn’t end up getting detention for missing half of the school day was beyond them.


	7. Life

So after that everything was fine again, right? A happy ending for all?  
Well, no. Unfortunately.... life was still life. You didn’t get a happy ending in the middle of your teen years, where the smallest social gatherings could feel like life or death.  
  
Now, with the high and lows of teenage life came the big breakup. Later it might’ve been considered just a small thing that happened when he was a teen, something Jeremy could look back on with a smile, but not right now.  
  
It had all started as a normal occurence for Jeremy. Another Saturday night, another date with Christine. This time they just decided to do something fun and went to do laser tag with Michael and his boyfriend, who thankfully had started to warm up to Jeremy more after the fight between Michael and Jeremy got resolved That one awkward day in the closet. Jeremy had thought the guy was kind of an ass first, but now he acted nicer he realised Billy was actually pretty okay.  
  
Jeremy and Christine totally kicked their asses, for the record. Well, Christine surprisingly was the one doing most of the ass kicking, but Jeremy still liked to think that he did a great job as well.  
After the game the couples ended up losing track of each other, though they didn’t mind; Jeremy and Christine had gone out to get some ice cream while the other two were probably off doing something entirely different.  
It was a perfect night, the stars were bright in the sky and Jeremy had given his Jacket to his girlfriend so she wouldn’t be cold.. while he tried to act as if he wasn’t cold himself.  
She was happy with the warmth though, that was all that Jeremy cared about.  
  
Either way, it was a great night, so when Christine spoke up, saying that she had to tell him something.. he hadn’t expected that 'something' to break his heart.  
“Jeremy.. I, I’m so sorry!” She almost started to cry without even really explaining what was going on. Jeremy was alarmed, and immediately hugged her. “What- what’s going on? What are you sorry about?”  
“Oh, right.. I..” She swallowed.  
  
“We’re – my parents decided that we’re moving across the country.” She managed to get out before finally bursting into sobbing.  
He almost didn’t believe it. Moving? Right now?  
“wha- wha wait, when are you moving? What ?” It took a while for Christine to get calm enough to answer, especially because Jeremy had started to cry as well, but finally he got all details: her dad got a new job in another state, and they were moving as soon as the school year ended, which was only a couple of weeks away.  
  
Frankly, even though they had liked the time they were together, although it was a bit awkward at times since neither of them really knew what they were doing, neither of them really was interested in a long distance relationship. It felt like that would only hurt more in the long run. That’s why they decided to end it together with the move.  
  
Jeremy made the mistake of not telling anyone until the moment was there though. He knew he shouldn’t bottle it up, but he didn’t want anyone to worry for the last few weeks. He just wanted those last few weeks to be ... well, happy ones. They were filled with finals so they didn’t have all that much time to hang out, but he wanted the small moments left to really count.  
The time that they had together before she had to leave was fun, though after hanging out Jeremy would usually feel the sadness eat away at him, knowing that they wouldn’t see each other anymore after the last day of school.  
  
After having all the pain eat away at him, he sometimes had trouble not to start crying in public. He never would’ve guessed that actual heartbreak would hurt this much. Christine hadn’t even left and he already felt like this. Part of him didn't get it. Was this just a thing with first loves? Would a second one hurt less?  
  
Even though he never wanted that moment to arrive, it still happened. They all finished their year. He passed, though as everyone chatted excited about what they were going to do this summer break, Jeremy could only quietly listen to the noise around him. Christine seemed to be the same, honestly.  
  
After everyone had left, the two walked back to her house. Jeremy had promised to catch up with the guys to celebrate later, though he wasn’t sure if he’d follow that promise.  
“So… You’re leaving tomorrow already? Damn, your parents really weren’t kidding when they said ‘as soon as school ends’”. He spoke up, earning a small chuckle from the girl. It seemed somewhat forced though.  
  
“Yeah… But hey, we can still stay in contact! You _are_ planning on giving me extensive reports every day, right?” She half joked, trying to keep the mood light as he nudged him.  
“Sure. That’s a promise.” He replied, managing to smile, if only just a bit. How couldn't he smile? It was Christine.  
  
They continued to talk for another hour, before it was starting to get late.  
“I.. I have to go now, I still need to finish packing-“ She said somewhat awkwardly. They both knew Jeremy wouldn’t be allowed to sleep over. Especially not while everyone was busy with the move.  
“Alright- I uh-“ Jeremy started to stutter, though he was cut off by a pair of lips pressing against his own.  
The kiss didn’t last long, and it was obvious that the both were trying not to cry. “I’ll miss you-“ They both said, before eventually saying their definitive goodbyes.  
  


Now, it wasn’t like Christine was just leaving without no one knowing. She had told others and Jeremy had organized a goodbye party the weekend before. Michael knew it hadn’t been easy on Jeremy, though Jeremy hadn’t wanted to open up to his best friend about it yet.  
  
Needless to say Jeremy's worried best friend didn’t stay at the end of the school year party long when he realized Jeremy wasn’t coming.  
Jeremy’s room was dark. The curtains closed, no light but a dull blue one from his alarm clock visible until his door was creaked open, flooding the room in a soft yellow light from the hall.  
  
A grunt came from the bed, where Jeremy had been hiding under a bunch of blankets.  
“Dad, I’m fi-“ The boy started in an annoyed tone, but he got cut off by Michael.  
“It’s me.” Jeremy didn't have to look to know who that voice belonged to; it was Michael.  
  
Jeremy wasn’t sure whether he should be glad Michael came to help, or if he should be embarrassed that he had to see him like that. Either way, he pulled the blanket further over his head as the other approached, hiding his tear stained face from him. “I- I’m sorry.” He managed to mutter out as Michael handed him a bottle of water.  
  
“It’s fine dude, it’s okay to be upset about this. I know how much she means to you.” His best friend said, smiling encouragingly. “You want a hug?” He offered, knowing that in bad times Jeremy often liked physical contact of some sorts to calm down.  
  
And so they just sat in silence for a while, hugging, before Jeremy let it all out again. He kept talking, half crying, about how he felt, kind of surprised he could even keep talking about it like that before eventually falling quiet when everything had been said. He took a deep breath, feeling the other rub his back as he tried to relax. “Thanks.. I guess I should’ve just told you about it earlier, huh?” Jeremy honestly felt relieved after he got to talk about it. Even just telling someone helped, apparently.  
  
Michael chuckled slightly, ruffling the others hair. “Maybe, but I’m just glad you did at all.”  
The rest of the night was filled with ice cream and video games, which did help Jeremy take his mind off things. They continued to play until it was almost morning, Jeremy passing out first but Michael wasn’t far behind on that. In the end, Jeremy was glad he had a friend as sweet as Michael that he could count on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Just wanted to thank you all for reading up to this point! Happier chapters will come soon!  
> If you want to know what happens next don't forget to bookmark!


	8. Confession

Weeks passed. Jeremy, though struggling at first, had started to feel the pain less as time went on, though he wasn’t sure if he could’ve done it without his friends, especially Michael. He still stayed in contact with Christine, though conversation was somewhat awkward due to their recent breakup, even if they tried to keep it lighthearted.  
  
Okay honestly, Jeremy had kind of failed on that department. In the first week he broke down and almost wanted to ask to get back together again, though luckily Michael had been around to stop him from doing anything that would bring more harm to Christine and himself.  
Now he didn’t have to go to school either he had extra hours to spend thinking about his loss, which also contributed to his struggle, but in the end Jeremy still managed to get his ass out to do fun stuff as well, which at least was something.  
  
Tonight was one of those nights he was going out! Well, more like dragged out. Everyone was going to the fair that was in town for the summer, and everyone had insisted that he simply needed to be there. So there he stood near the fair, Saturday night, in a tank top because it had gotten hot in the past few weeks. He was the first to show up, much to his annoyance, though he guessed it was better than being late.

The first few to show up were Chloe and Brooke, followed by Jenna who had insisted on joining. Soon enough the Rich, Jake and Michael arrived as well. Michael arrived alone, since his boyfriend couldn’t make it that night, something about a family visit. He seemed a bit bummed about that, though he was glad to be there with his friends even if his boyfriend couldn’t make it.  
Even though they had all started out together they soon ended up parting in groups, a few people getting distracted by the food stands while a few went to play games. Michael and Jeremy ended up trying to take each other on in a game with water guns, which Michael ended up winning.  
  
“Ha! Take that!” He cheered as the employee of the stand handed them the points they gained by playing the game, Michael having gotten more in the end.  
“That’s not fair! I swear I was doing better.” Jeremy protested, though he soon enough was content when Michael decided to combine their points to give Jeremy a rather large teddy bear.  
“You’re happy with it, c’mon, admit it.” Michael teased Jeremy, lightly nudging him as they walked around.  
“Well.. It’s soft..” Jeremy muttered, trying to hide how happy he was with the gift. He couldn’t even really explain why it made him happy, since it was just a teddy bear. Michael gave his own points up to get it though, he guessed that was what mainly made him happy about it.  
  
Now that he thought about it, he had been clinging a lot to Michael lately, probably because he was still struggling with how it ended with Christine, even when they weren’t hanging out they regularly texted, even sending messages to say goodnight and good morning.  
They didn’t really do that before. Michael didn’t seen to mind, yet Jeremy was still wondering if that might’ve been just an act. Maybe he did mind?  
Maybe he did mind, and he was just hiding it to spare his feelings.  
  
Before Jeremy could spiral any further they ran into Brooke and Chloe, who were eating candy apples at a stand. He was glad running into them pulled him back into reality, he really didn’t want to get stuck in that spiral of worrying too much today.  
“Hey Jeremy, Michael! Been playing games?” Brooke asked, pointing at the teddy bear Jeremy was still holding. It made his cheeks heat up a bit in embarrassment. God, how stupid did he look while walking around with a teddy bear of all things?  
“Yeah, and we’re kicking ass at it. See our friend here? Top tier prize, after just one game.” Michael gloated, pointing at ‘their friend’ the teddy bear. Jeremy knew Michael was exaggerating a bit, but didn’t point it out since it did seem to impress the girls. Embarrassment avoided once again thanks to his best friend.  
  
Eventually the group met up to all eat something together, discussing the stuff they had been doing while they were separated, but eventually it started to get time to go home.  
Michael offered Jeremy a ride, since they didn’t live that far away from each other anyways and it was dark out. Jeremy accepted, though added that’d he’d try to get a car of his own soon to repay him for all the rides. Though he might need to get a summer job first.  
  


It was a nice night, you could still see a sliver of sunlight at the horizon but the stars were already clearly visible. Jeremy counted them as he looked out of the window of the car. He had started to get a bit drowsy from the late hour and the star counting, when Michael, for no apparent reason, parked his car next to the road even though they didn’t need to be there.  
  
“Jeremy?” He called, still looking ahead of him. Jeremy could sense the nervousness in his tone.  
“Yeah? Are you okay man?” Jeremy asked, looking over at Michael now.  
“I- There’s something I haven’t told you, but I think I just- I need to tell you, alright?”  
  
Jeremy gulped slightly. He seemed so serious, what was he talking about? “Please don’t tell me you killed a guy and he’s in the trunk.” He joked to make light of the situation.  
Luckily, Michael did chuckle a little at that, though he didn’t notice it was more forced than anything. “No, don’t worry, it’s not that bad yet but.. I just need to come clean with this so I can move on completely, you know? I didn’t really want to tell you before, but I think it’s now or never..” He rambled, clearly nervous.  
“Just spit it out man, you can tell me anything.”  
  
“I was in love with you, Jeremy.”  
Michael still didn’t look at him, his shoulders seemed tense.  
  
“Wait- wha-“ Jeremy wanted to ask him what he meant, though Michael cut him off before he could form a coherent question.  
“I don’t know since when, all I know is that I’ve liked you for a while. I know it’s stupid. And I know you wouldn’t be into me that way. Either way, after you and Christine finally started dating, and I found someone myself, I finally got over it.”  
  
Michael then seemed to relax somewhat, and he looked back at him. “I just felt like it was something I needed to say, uh.. we’re still cool, right?” He asked.  
Jeremy couldn’t find the words for a moment, before just kind of nodding. “Pft- yeah of course! I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me, man. Plus, the past is the past, right?” He responded, trying to look as positive as he could. He really was fine with it, it was the past, after all. He just couldn’t believe he never noticed. Was he serious about all of this?  
  
“Really? I’m glad man, I’m happy to finally be able to be honest about everything. I was kinda planning on telling you when I came out, though that probably wouldn’t have been such a good idea, after all.” He laughed slightly, trying to wave the awkwardness off. Michael could sense that his secret might’ve had more weight on the other than it seemed like it did, but he couldn’t blame Jeremy for it. He got it. He just hoped he didn’t ruin their friendship or anything.

After that the ride home continued, and Michael dropped Jeremy off at his place. Jeremy got back inside, eventually realizing that this whole night he hadn’t thought about the loss of his relationship once. Maybe it hadn’t been a bad idea to go along on this trip after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof I am two days late with this chapter compared to my usual schedule but next one should be back on track again! I'll try to prepare more over autumn break next week so I can post more!


	9. What

Jeremy was just about to head to bed when he heard a soft tapping on his window. He froze up at the sound, mind racing through possible scenarios like a burglar trying to break inside his house through his window of all places. Eventually the still rational part of his mind just guessed it was a bird or something, though he went to check just to be sure either way.  
He took the curtain in his hands, counting to three to give himself a bit more courage. He pulled the curtains away when he reached three, barely holding back a yell when he saw a figure behind the window after all.  
  
“Michael?!” He whisper yelled, quickly opening the window to let him inside. How did he even get up there? His bedroom wasn’t even on the ground floor!  
His best friend just greeted him and climbed inside, seemingly unaware of how badly Jeremy was panicking. The poor guy had no clue what was going on.  
  
“About earlier tonight, I was thinking..” Michael started, removing his glasses before looking back over to Jeremy. He had an odd look in his face, Jeremy couldn’t quite place the emotion behind it though.  
“Actually, I lied…” He stepped closer to him, the hint of a smile on his face. Was this funny to him? Why would he lie about such things? Jeremy didn't understand  
  
“I still like you, even now.” Jeremy didn’t even have the time to process what he said before he felt something against his lips- Michael was kissing him. Wait, Michael was KISSING him! The words still rung in Jeremy's mind, making him freak out and yet for some reason he returned the kiss.  
He kept kissing back. Before he knew it they had somehow ended up on the bed, holding each other close as Jeremy could feel his heart flutter in time with the beat of the alarm… wait, alarm?  
  
Right, Jeremy had put an alarm on so he wouldn’t sleep in too late.  
He groaned slightly, rolling over to slam his hand on the snooze button of his alarm clock, and just like that the dream was over. He could still feel his flushed face though, and a moment later he shot up, eyes wide when he finally was lucid enough to realize what he just dreamt about.  
  
Jeremy tried to let it go, thinking it was just some sort of weird dream that just happens because dreams are out of control and they don’t mean anything. Yet, not even an hour later he sat at his computer, trying to find the meaning of what just happened through google.  
  
He was somewhat relieved to find out that usually those dreams weren’t meant to be taken literally. Then again it was a big coincidence a dream like that happened the night after Michael told him he had a crush on him.... But he was still broken up over Christine leaving!  
It was probably just some weird result of his broken heart and how much Michael had been helping him, and that confession as well.  
  
The confession itself surprisingly didn’t bother Jeremy much, though. He was surprised he never noticed, yes, but other than that he was cool with it. Michael didn’t seem so sure about that though, Jeremy noticed. Michael had sent him several messages overnight to assure that they were still cool. Of course they were. They were best friends and that wasn’t going to change over a past crush. He wasn't that stupid.  
…If it was a current crush though, that would've been more complicated.  
  
Nevertheless, for the moment Jeremy had managed to convince himself that he didn’t need to worry about something as silly as a dream and just continued to go about his day. He had to admit his mind slipped back to Michael a couple of times though. That dream had unfortunately been pretty... intense. Oh god, he kept feeling embarrassed just thinking about it.  
  


Weeks of summer vacation passed by in a blink and soon enough Jeremy found himself getting ready to get back to school. He was a bit reluctant about going back to school, but it was definitely better compared to the other years.  
Only bummer was that he knew Christine wouldn’t be at school when it started again.  
  
He had to be honest though, time had managed to make things a bit better for Jeremy. Michael and his other friends had been a huge help as well by making sure he wouldn’t stay stuck in his room just feeling depressed instead of going out. (they had nagged on him a lot about that though, which he appreciated a bit less than the other stuff, but it showed him that they cared at least).  
Jeremy had almost forgotten about that odd dream from the beginning of summer as well, until he heard a knocking on the window in the middle of the night the last Tuesday of summer break.  
  
It was about two am, surprisingly enough Jeremy had gone to bed early that day and was still asleep when a soft tapping could be heard from the window. It eventually got louder, almost growing to a banging when the noise finally made Jeremy wake up.  
  
“What-“ The boy wheezed, not understanding what was going on. He soon got up, sneaking over to the window and peeking through the curtains, only to see Michael’s eyes staring back at him.  
Jeremy let out a small yelp, taking a step back from the window. Even though Michael was a far better person to have at his window than a burglar, he still failed to not startle Jeremy by showing up like that. He sighed after recollecting himself for a moment, opening the window and letting his friend in.  
  
“Jeez, took you long enough.” He complained, though there was something off about his voice, even with the teasing usual tone, it seemed faked.  
“Well I’m sorry that I don’t expect someone to come through my window at.. what time is it even? Two am?” He muttered, flopping back onto his bed as he still wasn't entirely awake yet. He was surprised to see Michael joining him on the bed.  
  
“..What’s wrong?” Jeremy couldn’t really see the others expression in the dark, but he could feel something was off the moment he entered. That was pretty rare for Jeremyto be able to do that, actually. That's why he knew it must have been something bad.  
  
Well, the fact that he’d show up in the middle of the night with no warning also gave it away, _just a tad._  
A long sigh escaped from Michael as Jeremy could feel the covers being pulled towards Michael. Was he gripping onto them?  
“I.. Billy… We broke up.” He tried to explain, words a bit jumbled as if he was still trying to figure out what he was trying to tell Jeremy himself.  
  
When he said that, Jeremy just felt bad. Not as in bad for Michael exactly (though he did feel bad for him, don't get him wrong), but he felt bad, more like guilty, because at that very moment, he felt something he could not understand at that moment.  
Jeremy's heart skipped a beat, almost as if he’d be happy if the other hadn’t started to cry into his shoulder. As he hugged him and tried to comfort him he remembered that one dream he had, and he started to think. It wasn’t for another while that he realized it though, after Michael had finally managed to fall asleep and Jeremy himself was just about to sleep. When it did happen, Jeremy's eyes suddenly shot open with the realization.  
  
Did he… secretly want to date Michael? Had he been hoping that when he came through that window he’d get that kiss he had (quite literally) dreamt of?  
It almost made him feel sick.  
Not sick by the idea though, opposite, really/ Though that was awkward to admit and only made him panic more about the whole ordeal. Just sick of himself because while his best friend was broken over someone else, his mind decided to start thinking of him in a romantical sense. Good job, brain.  
While Michael had told him that he used to like him and is now over him, he now was the one with a secret crush.  
  
By the time morning came and Jeremy had actually managed to get some sleep, he convinced himself he had just running a bit wild with his emotions. He had never even liked a guy before, and it was just a thought, after all. Thinking about it didn’t mean it was immediately a thing. Yeah, that managed to calm him down a bit.  
It was just one thought, after all.  
  
He gently nudged Michael awake when it was about time to get up, snickering slightly at his muttered protests. “Come on buddy, we need to get breakfast.”  
It was all going to be fine. Just like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter is indeed about two weeks late and I'm so sorry but hey we're finally getting to the romance (probably) ?  
> Truth is I wanted to do a hiatus for a week so I could make more buffer pages but I ended up not having any time at all to work on the fanfic  
> Updates will resume like normal now though! Expect a new chapter on Sunday!


	10. It's a struggle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat shorter chapter since my laptop crashed earlier this week and I only got it back on update day, sorry!

It wasn’t fine, it wasn’t fine at all because the universe HATED Jeremy.  
  
Well at least that was what Jeremy thought as he paced across his room, the list with the cast of this years school play clutched in his hand.  
When auditioning Jeremy mainly had been worried about getting some role that would put himself too much in the spotlight. Like a lead role, or something embarrassing like just being a tree, though this? This role was making things more complicated than either of those options would ever make it.  
  
He had to play the king’s lover. Kisses and all included.  
Now, who was playing the king and why did it make things complicated? It honestly wasn't hard to guess.  
  
Michael had decided to join the fun this year, seeing as theatre had been an interest of Jeremy for a long time and he needed something to do other than playing video games, according to his family. Surprisingly enough he managed to get a lead role on his first play. Jeremy was actually impressed, but that wasn’t the issue right now.  
  
The issue was that they had decided to put a mistress.. mister? Whatever, in the play, and Jeremy of course managed to get the role for that, after being assured that this role was so progressive, and that he wouldn’t be made fun of nor would people start calling him gay for it.  
In other words, he couldn’t refuse the role. Even Michael seemed okay with it. He even said he was relieved it was Jeremy who got that role, considering they were super platonic best friends or whatever.  
  
At this point Jeremy had already given up on acting like thinking about going on dates with his best friend didn’t mean he had a crush, but now he also had to kiss him? He didn’t know how he’d be able to do that without embarrassing himself horribly.  
Why did he even have a crush on him all of a sudden? It frustrated him beyond belief. Jeremy had known him for years now!  
It was completely RIDICULOUS, though he could still feel his cheeks heat up as he thought about playing that role. Maybe he could just call in sick. On every rehearsal. And the play. Maybe just the whole school year.  
  
Okay no, that was not going to work.  
He would just have to try and get through it without dying.  
In the middle of his freak out about this situation Jeremy’s phone started ringing. Michael was calling, great. A crush had never frustrated him this much like this. He managed to pick up though after almost dropping his phone a couple of times. Man, was he getting nervous around him now too?  
  
“Hi.. Hi Michael-!” Great, his voice cracked. He could hear the other laughing on the other side of the line.  
“Man, puberty still hasn’t loosened its grip on your voice, has it?” He teased him, to which Jeremy just grumbled at him to shut it, both of them laughing after that.  
  
Jeremy hadn’t realized how long he had been calling with Michael until he looked outside and noticed it had gotten dark at some point. “Wow, time sure flies by fast. How late is it now, like ten pm? My dad will probably tell me I should shut up soon.” Jeremy joked. Though it was true, he probably shouldn't make too much noise this late.  
  
“Well they always say time flies fast when you’re having fun~ You seemed nervous though earlier, I didn’t really wanna ask at first, but are you okay? Is it because of the role?”  
Jeremy tensed up a bit at that question. Was he really that easy to read? He sighed a bit, trying to stay calm as he tapped his fingers against the side of his bed. “No no, it’s fine, I just-“ He tried to find an excuse, but Michael cut him off.  
  
“It’s fine, I get it, it’s a bit awkward. I could probably try and talk to the director and see if they could take a few kisses out and whatnot if that makes you feel any better.”  
  
Michael truly was a lifesaver. Even though Jeremy did feel a bit bummed at the possibility of all kisses getting scrapped, he felt more relieved than anything that he didn’t have to be nervous about that if they did get removed, so he agreed.


	11. Surprise?

Jeremy wasn’t really sure how to feel about this.  
  
Not all the kisses got scrapped. There was like, one left. The producer had agreed there were too many unnecessary kisses in the script that might lead attention away from the actual story when Michael asked about it, but there was one kiss on which a big plot point rested, so that couldn’t be removed. Great.  
  
Jeremy still had to admit he did feel a bit calmer knowing it was only one kiss. The moment that they’d be practicing that scene was getting close though, he could just feel it. On a certain afternoon he was in his bedroom with Michael, reading over some of the script after rehearsal.  
  
“You know, I’m pretty sure that kiss scene is coming up next in rehearsal.” Michael spoke up, looking up from his Gameboy.  
  
“O-oh really? Haha I almost forgot about it-“ Jeremy responded, failing to hide how nervous he got the moment that Michael mentioned the kiss.  
  
“Aww, nervous you’re gonna mess it up? Wanna practice maybe?” He chuckled, waggling his eyebrows at him.  
  
Michael should really stop being a tease.  
  
Jeremy attempted to distract the other from the way his cheeks got red by throwing a pillow from his bed over to where Michael sat. “Shut up-“ he muttered, chuckling at Michael’s surprised expression hen he got hit with the pillow.  
  
“Oh now it’s on!” He carefully put his game console down before he jumped up from his chair and over to the bed, instigating some kind of clumsy wrestling fight.  
  
In the end, much to Jeremy’s chagrin, Michael ended up winning when he finally pinned him down.  
  
Michael cheered, though they both were panting, exhausted by the sparring even if it hadn’t lasted long. They didn’t move for a moment, even if they were almost uncomfortably close to each other, just like..  
  
That dream.  
  
It felt just like that dream, except that they hadn’t been kissing and it wasn’t night.  
  
He didn’t- He didn’t know how. He had no idea how to deal with this. At that moment Jeremy just thought he needed help-  
  
Before he could finish his thought about needing help another one chimed through his mind:  
  
‘Just kiss him already.’  
No. He couldn’t. That sounded like a HORRIBLE idea and there was no idea how that would work out. The thought alone made him even more nervous, so much that he didn’t even notice it hadn’t exactly been his own thought.  
  
“Alright, alright, you won, nowcanyouletmego-“ Jeremy wheezed out eventually, sitting back up once he was freed again. At least his red face could be explained by the sparring. Now he was paying attention to it, Michael’s face was pretty red too. He probably wouldn’t question it then.  
  
When the nervousness slowly started to fade away again Jeremy let out a soft laugh, leaning back into the mass of pillows behind him as he looked at the other, who just proceeded to poke him with his foot.  
  
“What?” Jeremy asked, trying to sound annoyed though he was still laughing slightly.  
  
“I dunno, you were kinda staring at me.” Michael responded, sticking his tongue out at him.  
  
“I just- uh.. well… I’m just glad you’re here, honestly.” Jeremy finally admitted after sputtering for a moment. Before he could get anxious about what he said and take it back Michael grinned, pulling him into a hug.  
  
“I know, I’m the best~”  
  
He could really be an ass sometimes. But a cool ass.  
  


Hours later Jeremy was still in his bed, though Michael had left a while ago.

He groaned slightly and turned to press his face into the pillow when he thought about the whole crush situation again. How long would it take Michael to figure it out? How long could he hide it?

And most importantly… How would he react?

‘I don’t know, just try kissing him’

Sometimes, at moments like these, he could almost hear the squip talking to him again.  
‘I am talking to you, you big idiot.’

Weird, it’s as if he still exactly knows his voice wait what

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo guess who finished editing the chapter on Saturday but forgot to post it? On the bright side I managed to create a little more buffer last week so hopefully I'll be able to keep posting about every week!


	12. Resolve

One trip to the bathroom to splash his face with water to see if he was dreaming while trying to not have a panic attack later, Jeremy could finally start to accept that he probably just imagined that voice, that it wasn’t what he thought it was.  
He returned to his bed once his heart beat started to slow back to a normal pace again. He sighed softly, letting himself fall backwards onto the soft fabric of his sheets.  
He guessed it was probably from the stress, it just had to be.  
And yet he couldn't convince himself until he was proven wrong by the voice slowly starting to speak up again.

‘Finally calmed down? Okay so before you start panicking again let me explain- you called me for help. Well, subconsciously. Either way, I’m helping now whether you like it or not, because we both know you need it.’  
Nononono this couldn’t be real-  
Jeremy crawled under his sheets, hiding under them almost as if he was trying to escape his own mind. He glanced around him frantically, trying to catch a glimpse of anything visual that might be out of place. He was barely even listening to the words. He didn't want to listen at all. Was this a relapse or something?

‘look, I really won’t do anything bad- I just want to help, I can’t even control you in any way, come on!’ The monster tried to reason with him, but Jeremy wasn't having any of it.  
“I’m… I’m calling Michael.” Jeremy said. His voice was shaky, but there was not a single doubt in his words as he reached over to grab his phone from the nightstand.

‘And what will you tell him? That your crush on him called me here? Just put down the phone and accept my help. It’s not like you’d ever get the guts to win him over anyways.’ Of course the squip wouldn't have any trust in Jeremy to figure everything out by himself. To not be a loser. He thought he'd never fess up about his feelings to his friend.

In the depths of his mind, Jeremy knew that might be true. He had always been a rather big whimp when it came to those things-  
And yet it kind of hurt to hear it though. Even thinking it made him feel bad.  
It hurt in such a way, that while the voice in his head was nagging away at him, he stood up.  
He walked over to his desk, opening the drawer he had filled for emergencies.  
He looked calm. He wasn't calm. Jeremy was so nervous he could barely breathe.  
‘Wait what-‘ The squip finally paused his self indulgent ramblings when he spotted the bottles through Jeremy's eyes.  
He could do this, Jeremy thought, while grabbing a bottle. The only thing that could deactivate the system. His shaky hands opened it.  
He could do it, and he would do it by himself.

Jeremy groaned, holding his head in his hands. The deactivation of the system didn't hurt his brain as much as it did last time, but he could still feel a dull headache that he really didn't want to deal with at that moment. He tossed the empty bottle of the special Mountain Dew in the trash. He had downed the whole thing just to be sure. He didn't want it to happen again any time soon.  
He really had hoped relapses wouldn't be a thing, but he guessed that was the price to pay. Either way, as long as he stayed strong and kept enough of the drink around he should be safe.  
The event made him think though; he really didn't want things to end up the way they did with Christine at first. He didn't want to do stuff like flushing love letters down the toilet again. He was done feeling like a complete loser over things he could control.  
That's why he wanted to do it right this time. Without help from questionable resources. He'd just find a way to grab his courage and come out with his feelings.  
The determination finally won from the headache, and Jeremy ended up sleeping surprisingly peacefully.

_Next week in chapter 13:_

_A week later Jeremy had given up on trying to do it by himself again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems like things have gotten pretty tense this chapter, haha. The chapters have been a bit shorter lately since I really want every event to be separated by chapter but I personally think enough happened in this chapter to have enough for this week. That being said, the next couple of weeks I cannot promise constant updates since I'm very busy, but I'll still try to update!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a longer hiatus than planned I'm back to release the final chapters!  
> Thank you for anyone who has decided to stick with me, by the time you're reading this all chapters will most likely be published.

A week later Jeremy had given up on trying to do it by himself again.  
Don’t get him wrong though, he still wasn’t planning on doing anything to activate that asshole again, but he did know he probably wasn’t going to get any further if he didn’t ask someone who actually knew what they were doing for help.  
He did try! A bit… Truth was, he was about as hopeless as he was with Christine at the start, and he wasn’t counting on another disaster to happen again to give him a chance to possibly get together with him.  
He thought about telling him first, but he already could feel his chest tighten the moment he even thought about telling him, so that wouldn’t work.  
A letter? Flushed down the toilet again. He couldn’t even finish it. He got too embarrassed to even try to word his feelings to himself properly. It made him question if it was ever even going to work out.  
He needed some kind of push. Some kind of push that wasn’t fueled by problems and drama, at least. Well, maybe a bit of drama, considering there was still a play going on and all. The kiss scene still hadn’t happened in rehearsal, though that didn’t mean Jeremy wasn’t still nervous every time he thought about it, though. He didn’t even get why he still was just as nervous as before; he had learned they were just going to do a stage kiss. It would be totally fake, yet they would still be very close… okay, he kind of got why he was still nervous.  
And sort of bummed, honestly?  
However much he got nervous from the idea of kissing his best friend and crush, it wasn’t as if anyone wouldn’t secretly want to get a chance like this with their crush. Then again, at least now he couldn’t accidentally repel the other with his somewhat bad kissing skills. He could be really clumsy if he was nervous, he had learned while he was still dating Christine.  
Christine… He felt kind of bad that he had moved on from her already. No, well, he hadn’t completely moved on. It still stung, but he knew they wouldn’t be getting back together again; He felt it in his heart, and not just because he had a crush on someone else now.  
He still wondered what she would react if she would know it though.  
On that topic though, who should he be asking to help? Would people be weirded out if he’d tell them about his situation?  
   
Jeremy smiled a bit, shoulders tense as he looked at all the others in the room, all of them grinning like idiots.  
He had made a mistake.  
“Soo….. is it true?” Brooke leaned forward, grin widening even more and for a second Jeremy thought he was in a horror movie- he was at least nervous enough to be in one.  
“I- uh I don’t know what you’re talking about?” Jeremy tried, though he still wasn’t getting out of it. He knew he had fucked up when he told Rich and he accidentally yelled it out in surprise, of course with Chloe and Brooke in earshot. Now they ended up at Brooke’s house, and Jake had also joined for some reason? This was all going too fast for Jeremy.  
“That you’re like, totally in love with Michael but are too chicken to tell him?” Jenna mused, walking in with a bowl of popcorn. Great, was the whole school going to know about this soon?  
“I-it’s not like that!” Jeremy crossed his arms, heat rising to his cheeks as he averted his eyes from the crowd.  
“It’s just uh.. a small crush, nothing big-“  
“Yeah, said the tomato!” Chloe laughed slightly, leaning back in her seat.  
“Now, now, guys, we don’t have to tease Jeremy about how he has a boner for Michael-“ Rich started, making Jeremy sputter a little yet he still continued, amused.  
“..how he thinks about him every night and- WOAH” He yelped as Jeremy tackled him, thankfully landing on the soft surface of a beanbag.  
While the two were playfighting Brooke sighed slightly, leaning back in her seat. Almost everyone had known Michael had at least some sort of crush on Jeremy for quite a while. It was probably where all the boyfriend jokes came from as well. But would that still be the case?  
“Would it.. Could he even still like you? If he said he was over it..? ” Brooke eventually spoke up, making Jeremy and Rich pause.  
Jeremy remained speechless, slowly getting up. “Well, I mean I-“ That was what he was worried about.  
“No one can know for sure unless you actually ask him, man. That’s how it goes with everyone.” Jake spoke up, patting Jeremy’s back.  
“Buuut that doesn’t mean you can’t gently give him a nudge to see if he’d fall for you.” Jenna butted in again, letting her bowl of popcorn go around the room for anyone who wanted a snack as well.  
“Alright then, let’s get to planning!” Rich cheered after he caught a piece of popcorn that someone had thrown at his mouth as everyone gathered closer to each other.  
“Wait… You guys all actually want to waste time on helping me?” Jeremy asked, a bit skeptical.  
“Of course, Jeremy! We’re your friends, after all!” Brooke beamed, followed by Chloe snickering that it’d probably be entertaining to watch as well.  
That’s how they ended up discussing ideas for another hour, still making sure to embarrass Jeremy every once in a while because honestly, it was hard to resist when he got red like a tomato every time.  


A couple of days later it was time for the first part of the groups (not so carefully) constructed plan. It had already been set in motion, and by noon Michael pulled Jeremy aside in the hallway, a rather puzzled look on his face.  
“Hey, uh.. Jer.. What’s going on with everyone?” Michael asked, after glancing around to make sure no one was following him.  
Jeremy pretended that he wasn’t completely sweating in guilt and just smiled. “What are you talking about man?”  
He well on knew what has been happening. Everyone was dead set on finding out if Michael was up for dating, might still have feelings for a certain someone and all that kinda jazz… Though Jeremy should’ve also guessed that they’d probably do it in the least subtle way possible.  
“Everyone’s just.. Been acting weird?? Like first Jake asks if I’m still into dudes, then Chloe asked what I’d sleep with if I had to choose and I’ve been getting those kinds of questions all day?” Michael genuinely looked sort of shaken as he explained this. Jeremy had to keep his mouth shut to avoid outing himself.  
“You.. you don’t think they’re trying to set me up with someone, right?” Michael asked, avoiding Jeremy’s gaze for a moment. Jeremy sputtered a little as he tried to find an answer, an excuse, maybe even the truth, but Michael beat him to it.  
“If you are, I appreciate it and all but.. please don’t. I’m still not really over.. You know, I don’t wanna risk feeling like that again right now.” There was a flash of sadness in Michael’s eyes that really only managed to pull on Jeremy’s heartstrings more than he usually already did. Yet through all that Michael still managed to summon a small smile. “I mean.. you get it right? With Christine and all?” He asked, almost seeming sorry for bringing her up; which made Jeremy only feel more sorry for Michael instead.  
Michael was here, uncomfortable because of something Jeremy had started and on top of that feeling sorry for bringing Christine up, while in reality… He was pretty much over her.  
“No.. I get it, I’ll tell everyone to stop whatever they’re trying to do.” Jeremy responded after letting out a breath he was holding in. “Can I be honest though? I. I don’t think, I mean- I think I’m pretty much over Christine?” He explained sheepishly, hand going up to toy with his hair as he nervously awaited Michael’s response.  
“Wait, really? That’s great, man!” Michael grinned, almost making Jeremy’s jaw drop.  
“So you’re not.. bothered, or anything?” Jeremy asked, pulling a somewhat weird face. He had expected him to be shocked, maybe ask him how he could possibly already be over her while he was still in pain, just, ANYTHING.  
“..No? Dude, why would I be bothered that you’re feeling okay? That sounds kinda sick.” Michael replied, raising a brow as he tried to figure out what was going on in Jeremy’s mind. For once Michael didn’t need to fret too much though, as Jeremy just came out and said it. Part of it, at least.  
“I don’t know, I guess I just feel kind of bad? Like, as if I’m not supposed to be over her already, or something.” Jeremy spoke softly to avoid anyone passing by to overhear him. Michael just sighed as he leaned against the wall, giving Jeremy a small shrug in response.  
“Does it really matter when you’re able to get over something? It just depends on the person, I guess. You can’t exactly decide when your feelings will change, but it’s for the better if you don’t spend too long feeling like shit, ya know?” Michael lightly punched his shoulder. “Come on, I’m right.”  
Jeremy laughed slightly, shaking his head. “Alright, fine. You’re right.”  
As they joined the traffic in the hallways towards the lunchroom and the conversation replayed in his head something, a fact that he had missed before, dawned on Jeremy.  
Michael still felt like shit.  
Jeremy lightly nudged him to get his attention when they were in line for food, sucking in a small breath together with his courage to ask.  
“Hey, since it’s Friday and all, mind if I stay over tonight?” Jeremy asked, doing his best to stay as casual as possible as he noticed Brooke in the background had caught what he had said and was now making excited gestures at both him and Chloe.  
He still somewhat regretted telling them, god.  
Michael was unaware of what played out behind him though and just grinned, happy with the proposal. “Sure man! It’s been a while.” Especially since Jeremy had caught feelings. “You know, I found this new game last week-“ And just like that, the conversation finally shifted to a less serious undertone, the both of them feeling a bit better about things than they were before.


	14. Chapter 14

Jeremy scrambled around his house, trying to pack his bag as quickly as possible in order to not have Michael wait outside for too long. While Jeremy was grabbing his toothbrush he looked out the window to see Michael still sitting in his car, making Jeremy smile to himself. A mix of nervousness and giddiness got a hold of him as he finally finished and raced down the stairs, quickly explaining his dad where he was going before he was in Michael’s car once again.  
“You got everything?” Michael asked, a dumb grin appearing on his face. “Even your underwear? You really shouldn’t forget-”  
“Yes, yes I brought underwear. That was only once and I was like 8.” Jeremy muttered, his face a light pink from embarrassment as his friend made him remember that. Michael just kept looking at him with that grin though, and Jeremy found himself hesitating.  
Michael laughed as he picked up his bag and looked through it. “Not so sure after all huh?” He nudged him as Jeremy groaned. “I found it, I did bring some, happy now?” Jeremy confirmed, throwing the rather light bag at Michael’s face.   
Michael just laughed and started to drive.   
“Seriously though, who the heck forgets to-“ He started again, though Jeremy cut him off.  
“I swear to god Michael I’ll launch myself out of the car, please!”

For some reason Jeremy had expected these sleepovers to be different now that he had feelings for the other; That Michael would somehow sense something had changed and start acting differently as well.  
They were still playing video games and joking around as usual, though. The biggest difference was still just that he sometimes thought about kissing his friend. Just sometimes. Really. God, at least the games managed to keep his mind of that a bit, or he’d be a tomato by now.  
Jeremy had been forced to turn his phone off a while ago; basically the whole group had been messaging him with stuff like ‘tips on how to get some’. Half of them had been jokes and half of them serious advice, but either way they had been taking the piss out of Jeremy- Everyone was really going overboard with this. He was starting to think he might have to force himself to confess soon anyways to avoid anyone else doing it on accident and creating a huge mess that way. On moments like these Jeremy wasn’t sure if he really should confess in the first place. It was just, things were good between them now. If Michael was able to eventually stop having feelings for Jeremy, wouldn’t Jeremy be able to do the same?   
However, Jeremy only realized how that thought saddened him until Michael nudged him and offered him a cracker from the pile of snacks they had gathered before.  
“You alright there? You’re looking kinda glum right now.”  
Of course Michael would notice it before even Jeremy himself could. He felt like screaming, though he just took the cracker instead, biting into it to stall for time.  
“I’m fine, I was just kind of getting lost in thought, is all.” That seemed to be about enough of a response to satisfy Michael, though Jeremy could see that the other still wanted to say something. A couple of snacks later he spoke up.  
“You know, if there’s something serious going on you can always tell me. I swear I won’t make fun of you or try to brush it off as nothing serious, I just-“ Michael was struggling with his words, his tone of voice sounding as if he was trying to hide the emotion in it. Jeremy frowned. Was he really that worried?  
“..now that things are going good again, I just don’t want our whole friendship to go south again because we weren’t open about what we’re thinking or something inane like that.” Now Michael was looking straight into Jeremy’s eyes, seemingly done with trying to make it sound more like a casual comment than it was. There was.. There was both a certain sadness and determination in his eyes that just pulled at Jeremy’s heart. That he’d care so much about their relationship- it made Jeremy sick.   
Well, lovesick to be more exact.  
Jeremy slowly nodded, not completely sure how to act now. “I- uh, yeah; Of course!” He sputtered out. That was barely a response though, he knew. Jeremy let out a breath, stopping himself from freezing up completely before just deciding to fuck it. He gave the metaphorical finger to his potential embarrassment as he pulled Michael into a hug. He rested his head on his shoulder, not wanting to look at his face and see his reaction. “Believe me, I don’t want to lose you again either man. Never again.” He spoke truthfully.   
Jeremy had honestly expected Michael to just awkwardly reject his hug, or anything like that. Needless to say he could feel his heart beat in his chest when he felt a pair of arms move around him; he was returning the hug.  
They were full on hugging, and neither of them was pulling away. Jeremy could hear Michael mutter something among the lines of him being glad, and then Jeremy could finally relax. Everything was fine between them, and deep inside he knew it was always going to be fine; whatever happened.

It was late. Michael wasn’t sure how late it was exactly, but he had made the conclusion that it was rather late when Jeremy passed out on his bed. Before that he had still been making loads of declarations about how he totally wasn’t tired.   
“Dork.” Michael muttered, snickering slightly at his best friend as he sat down at the edge of the bed. Looking at Jeremy, Michael still couldn’t shake the feeling that his friend hasn’t been telling him something. He seemed bothered by something, but if there was something going on Jeremy was absolutely refusing to tell him. He didn’t really get it- didn’t they promise to be open with each other from now on?  
Sometimes Michael got worried about this all. That.. That the way Jeremy acted towards him back when that damn computer was functional wasn’t because of the delusion the squip had brought him into. That Jeremy still thought he was a loser and was only still hanging around because he felt bad. Those thoughts made him feel bitter, almost hateful, but the part of him that trusted Jeremy told him that none of those thoughts were true.  
This time, however, it wasn’t his trust in Jeremy that stopped those thoughts. It was Jeremy himself.  
Michael tensed up when he felt something touch his hand. He had been so stuck in his thoughts, he hadn’t seen Jeremy move to grab his hand. Michael forced himself to calm down from the initial surprise and looked over at his face. He still seemed to be mostly asleep, although Jeremy was sporting this small grin now as he started to mutter incoherent things.  
Was he having a dream? Michael stifled a small laugh; He hadn’t heard Jeremy sleep talk in a while. He usually said the weirdest things. The laugh seemed to have stirred Jeremy from his slumber a bit though. He groaned a bit, the grip on Michael’s hand tightening for a brief moment.  
“Michael?” He called, before his eyes opened slightly. It was clear that he still wasn’t entirely there though. Probably still half asleep. Oh boy.   
“..Yeah, buddy?” Michael replied after a moment of hesitation, not sure what to do in this situation. Was he supposed to reply or just wait until Jeremy would fall asleep again? He was about to just let Jeremy be so he’d hopefully fall asleep again, but the next thing his half asleep comrade said piqued his interest.  
“I got to- I have to tell you it soon. I will… Don’t know how.” Jeremy muttered, making Michael’s neck hair stand up.  
So there was something.   
But should he really try to get it out of him like this?  
He noticed Jeremy closing his eyes again. He didn’t have much time to consider it. Michael lightly squeezed Jeremy’s hand in an attempt to keep him just lucid enough to not pass out completely again. “What do you need to tell me?” Michael asked, attempting to keep his voice even, but it was a struggle.  
Michael didn’t even really expect a coherent answer, though if he’d get one he guessed it’d be negative. His heart almost stopped when he saw Jeremy briefly open his eyes again before answering.  
“That I love you.”

A nervous laugh escaped Michael as Jeremy seemed to drift back off to sleep again. He must’ve heard that wrong right? There was in no way that Jeremy just seriously told him…   
Well, he did hear it fairly clearly.  
He must have gotten confused…  
But he had called his name specifically.  
He felt like he really shouldn’t be letting himself believe this, but at that moment he couldn’t find any other proper explanation: Jeremy might just have a crush on him.  
…and that made him feel happy.  
Michael felt like he should be freaking out right about now. Surprised by this revelation, not understanding why he felt feelings for Jeremy again even though he was sure he had gotten over him,… But everything just made sense somehow. One couldn’t ask him to explain it in words, but it made sense that this would happen somehow.  
He smiled softly, leaning down as he pressed a kiss to his sleeping friends forehead.   
He wasn’t going to tell him that he knew though, he felt like that was something Jeremy had to do on his own. But he’d be waiting.


	15. End

“So…” Jenna started, drawing out the first word of her sentence before she actually continued. “..has anyone else noticed those two both seem to give each other those soft kinda looks when the other isn’t looking?” She asked, waggling her finger in the general direction of Jeremy and Michael.  
The two in question were listening to some music on the other end of the table, surprisingly sitting rather close. They seemed to have just realized that themselves though, as they were averting their eyes a bit with heated cheeks.  
It certainly was… suspicious, but not suspicious enough to be quite sure yet.  
Jeremy’s bathroom break had ended up entirely different than planned when he suddenly was pulled away to face the group that had been helping him with his plans before, looking at him expectantly.  
“W.. what?” Jeremy asked, furrowing his brows a bit as he glanced around for a way to get around them. Maybe he could get away before they’d ask any weird questions.  
Jake was suddenly behind him though, a hand placed on his shoulder. “Did ya ask him, man?” He asked, and Jeremy suddenly felt like he was sweating twice the usual amount.  
“I, well… no. But I swear I will! I,.. I just need time, is all!” Jeremy sputtered it out, hoping it would be enough to convince them to let him be for a bit longer, though he blinked when all he got back were confused glances.  
“Wait, you really didn’t?” The first reaction came from Brooke, who was scratching her head as if she couldn’t understand.  
“No..? Why would I lie about that?” Jeremy felt calmer now, but he was possibly even more confused than the people he was talking to right now.  
“We would’ve sworn you two had gotten together! You’re constantly giving eachother the look.” Jenna butted in, putting emphasis on those last two words as if they were something magical. “I mean, you’ve been giving him that look for a while now, but he’s been giving it back now! What the hell happened?” Her voice raised a bit. God, she was so curious about all this!  
“I don’t- I don’t know?” Jeremy actually did have not a single clue. He didn’t remember anything from after he fell asleep that night.  
After some convincing and a promise to grab his chance and actually do the asking that week Jeremy had finally managed to get them out of his hair, though he could still feel his heart beating in his chest. Was what they suggested really true? Did something happen that made Michael like him again? He wasn’t quite sure what to do next.

“How much longer are you going to keep it a secret?” Jeremy asked, stomping towards Michael over the wooden floor of the empty theatre room. Michael faked a confused expression at his words.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, my-“  
“Us. I’m talking about us and you know it.” He put his foot down, the sheer intensity of his expression making Michael snicker a bit, to which Jeremy quickly hushed him so he could continue without starting to laugh himself.  
Everyone had left already after practice, but since the two hadn’t practiced this scene yet Michael had asked him to stay behind so they could try it up on the stage. It was the scene where they were supposed to kiss, and it hadn’t been a coincidence. They had been putting this off  
Despite his nerves Jeremy’s acting was on point, his gestures big and maybe even a little too dramatic as he went through the script. His enthusiasm managed to pull Michael in as well and the fight was acted out loudly.  
“How can I be sure that you’d even be loyal to me?!” Michael yelled, throwing his script on the ground for impact- did he know his lines already? Either way, Jeremy could barely pull his focus away from how pretty the others eyes looked right now, as they stood closer to each other. Maybe he should just take his chances.  
“How about I prove it then.” He said flatly, moving closer until they were only inches apart, before he grabbed Michaels shoulders and pulling him into a kiss, conveniently forgetting they were just supposed to be doing a stage kiss instead of an actual one.  
As their lips somewhat awkwardly got smushed together Jeremy had expected the other to pull away, maybe freeze at the very least, but he didn’t. He could feel two hands grabbing his shirt, pulling him closer as an attempt at returning the kiss was formed.  
It had lasted about ten seconds before the both of them got a sense of reality again and quickly parted, faces heating up in response to what just had happened.  
“….What a way to end a scene, huh?” Came the meek comment from his best friend.  
Jeremy couldn’t help but to start laughing.

“I already knew.”  
Jeremy was sitting next to Michael at the edge of the stage, attempting to talk things over. He raised a brow at the comment though. How could he have known he likes him?  
“How do you mean you knew?” Even if it had been somewhat obvious, there was never a certainty until it was said outright, right?  
“You told me once when you were half asleep, you dork.” He explained, a small snicker escaping him as he got hit in the arm by Jeremy.  
“Why didn’t you tell me?! I was nervous all this time, and-“  
“You would’ve died of embarrassment, man. You’re such an idiot-”  
With that Jeremy got annoyed enough to tackle him. They rolled around for a bit until much to his dismay Michael once again managed to get the upper hand and push him down. Instead of getting a smack or a wet finger in his ear though, Michael just gave him a light kiss that made both of their hearts flutter.  
  
And that was how after going through a very long track, they finally started dating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That finally concludes this fanfic! It is highly unlikely that I'll still be doing any rewriting of the chapters nor will I add anything else to it, I'm afraid.  
> Thank you to everyone who was stuck through with me while I published this and those who have just started reading, it was fun to get the chance to publish something like this on here.
> 
> The first chapter of the initial version of this story got published end 2017, so it was really time for me to finally close the books on this one. My plan was to make my first longer story, but it kept getting delayed due to other projects and personal life. To be quite honest, I wasn't really that invested in this fandom any more during most of my time writing this. In the end, I have written about 30 pages worth of content and I am proud of that.
> 
> I still hope this story managed to entertain some of you, once again thank you for reading. I'll be publishing other works in the future, but I haven't decided what those will be exactly yet. I'm excited for them though!


End file.
